Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
M ost of the guests were here, if the full tables were anything to go by.
Mercedes counted again and came up with the same number.
Far more than she and Deanna wanted to pay for.
In her world, a bridal shower was done at someone’s home or a small local hall.
You decorated it with pretty streamers and fancy platters that some of the family provided.
That wasn’t good enough for Blake’s mother, Audrey Wentworth.
At first, she’d absolutely insisted the shower be at her country club or another upscale venue.
Annie, Blake’s sister-in-law, was instrumental in getting the woman to allow them to have it somewhere more reasonably priced.
The restaurant, whose back room they were using, was still more money than Mercedes and Deanna could afford, even with Carli’s mom and Annie pitching in.
Audrey had also insisted they use her baker for the cake and dessert, since they weren’t using her caterers. They’d compromised on that, and Annie had supplied much of the decorations herself.
Looking around, Mercedes knew the Jameson women, of course, and some of Carli’s friends, but, aside from Annie, Harrison’s wife, she didn’t know any of the people from Blake’s side.
She could tell immediately who they were, though.
They all dressed as if they were taking part in a fashion show.
Mercedes had plenty of nice clothes, but most of them came from thrift stores or bargain basements.
Hardly the designer labels on some of the guests here today.
“Has anyone heard from Blake if he’s left yet?” Deanna asked the rest of the bridal party.
Annie nodded. “He just texted me and said he’s on his way.”
“She’s got to know this is her shower,” Mercedes said. “The wedding is next week, and she hasn’t had one yet.”
Deanna rolled her eyes and signed without voicing. Yeah, she asked me about it, wondering if Blake’s mom had anything to do with the delay. I didn’t want to throw the woman under the bus, so I said we couldn’t find a date that worked for all of us until today.
Audrey Wentworth had been playing Queen of the manor since she’d arrived at the venue.
She wasn’t paying any attention to them and certainly didn’t know enough ASL to figure out what they were saying.
Though to her credit, she had asked Carli and Annie to help her with some signs, so she could talk to her grandson, Parker.
Mercedes peeked over at the interpreter they’d hired for today.
The woman had a grin on her face. She must have seen what they’d been talking about.
Audrey had already insulted her with some nonsense about making sure she got all the names correct, especially those of her wealthy friends. They would expect the proper gratitude.
Meanwhile, the mother of the bride, Cheryl Jameson, buzzed around making sure everything looked good and there was enough food.
Mercedes thought it all looked wonderful, but she’d seen Cheryl complain that Audrey didn’t think her family was good enough for Blake.
Too bad. Blake was madly in love with his fiancée, and there wasn’t anything his mother could do about it.
Deanna sidled up next to Mercedes and Annie and tipped her head in the direction of the doorway. Who is that? She looks like she’s attending a royal ball.
A striking, tall and slender brunette entered the room like she was expecting applause. As she glanced around, Audrey bustled over and greeted her with a warm pat on the back and air kisses. No tight hugs for these folks.
Annie rolled her eyes. That’s Priscilla Tipton-Bigsby. It took her a few moments to fingerspell the name.
The name rang a bell. Oh, that’s Blake’s old girlfriend. Carli met her at the family Christmas party last year. It was their first date and the night of their first kiss. Everyone calls her Prissy.
Deanna scowled. Why is she here? We don’t need an old girlfriend at Carli’s bridal shower.
Annie sighed. Her family and the Wentworths are old friends. I doubt Blake or Carli wanted her on the guest list, but Carli said they had a fight on their hands about some of them. This one must have slipped by.
Let’s make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near Carli, Mercedes signed. I don’t want her upset at her bridal shower.
The women all nodded and spread out to get things ready. Soon, Blake showed up with his bride-to-be, and everyone yelled congratulations to the happy couple. Once he’d given his mother and future mother-in-law a kiss, he was shooed out and told to come back in a few hours.
Carli flushed, possibly overwhelmed by how many people were there or the lingering kiss Blake had given her. She then greeted her mom, mother-in-law, and Mercedes, Deanna, and Annie.
Deanna clapped her hands and called out, “Let’s eat first, then we can open the gifts.”
Mercedes and Annie ushered people to the tables filled with appetizers and finger foods. Deanna made sure that everyone knew where to get the drinks. She also told the interpreter to get food now, since her hands would be very busy once they got to the presents.
Mercedes waited until everyone had a plate, Carli in particular, then filled hers with a few items. The last thing she wanted was food stuck in her teeth while she was talking to guests or announcing who each gift was from.
Audrey wrinkled her nose at some of the food as she made her way down the line, Prissy right behind her.
“They really should have used my caterer. The quality of the food would have been much higher. Please don’t feel you need to eat what’s offered here. The dessert is excellent and something I supplied.”
Priscilla glanced around at the tables. “I suppose you can’t mess up salad too much. I’ll nibble on that.”
Mercedes wanted to smack them both in the face for their comments. How Carli put up with that woman and her snobbery, she didn’t know. She obviously loved Blake very much. If and when Mercedes got married, she hoped she didn’t have to deal with a ridiculous mother-in-law.
Cheryl was wonderful and would be the absolute best mother-in-law in the world. Another reason to hope her relationship with Evan continued to flourish and grow.
When Carli finished her food, Mercedes, Annie, and Deanna put aside their half-finished plates and started the process they’d discussed.
Annie would hand Carli a gift and announce who had given it.
Mercedes would take the card and write down the giver and the gift in a notebook.
Deanna would take the present and place it on the large table against the wall for others to check out later.
As Carli went through the gifts, the guests oohing and aahing at each one, Mercedes thought about what she’d want from a bridal shower.
Pretty much everything came to mind. Unless she married a wealthy man who already had most things you’d need for a home.
Everything Mercedes currently had was old and often used.
The same was true for Carli, except Blake had many items a couple would need.
“Oh, Blake already has plenty of towels, much finer than those,” Audrey stage whispered to the people at her table when Carli opened up a box of towels. Thankfully, the interpreter either hadn’t heard her or decided not to share the woman’s unkind words with the group.
“These towels are gorgeous,” Annie said. “I love the little roses embroidered onto the edges.” Go Annie. Her words, obviously meant to counterbalance the negative ones of her mother-in-law, rose above the crowd and many people agreed. Mercedes liked this woman more and more every time they met.
With Blake already having dinnerware and appliances, many of the gifts were items to make the condo more homey and comfortable. Audrey threw in snide comments, disguised as helpful information.
“I suppose the state-of-the-art sound system I purchased for Blake years ago, when he first moved there, isn’t of interest when you’re marrying someone without hearing.”
Funny how Blake’s parents were all about little Parker getting cochlear implants to ensure their grandson became “normal,” but Carli having them didn’t qualify her for that same category.
Mercedes wanted to scream at the woman. When she glanced at Carli, her friend smiled and signed, I turned my CIs down very low so I couldn’t hear her during the shower.
You are brilliant. I suggest doing it often when she’s around.
A peek at Audrey showed her narrowing her eyes at their signs. The woman obviously loved to know every little details of what was being said and couldn’t stand to be out of the loop. Probably thought they were talking about her. And she’d be correct.
Finally, the last of the gifts were opened and clapped for, and Carli stood to stretch her back.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming and for all the wonderful gifts. Blake and I appreciate your generosity and look forward to seeing you at the wedding next weekend. Please enjoy the desserts that were provided by Audrey Wentworth.”
Audrey stood and nodded sedately at the crowd, her smile smug.
With a tiny wave of her hand, she sat down primly again.
She and Prissy put their heads together and talked quietly.
Mercedes didn’t trust the women, either of them, but she trusted Blake and knew Carli was more than capable of taking care of herself.
For the next twenty minutes, people milled around, taking a closer peek at the gifts and chatting with each other.
The room was definitely divided into two groups: the wealthy ones and the normal ones.
Having a good deal of money would certainly be helpful when you were married, but if this was the result, the nose in the air, she’d rather stay in her own tax bracket.
When Blake showed up a short while later, he had Evan in tow.
Good stuff? he signed from across the room, pointing to the gift table.
Lots of good stuff, she signed back, ambling closer to him.